Americas Rugby News Rugby news from across the Americas!
The Americas account for 4 out of 10 of the world’s leading fan bases of rugby. The findings were published today by World Rugby, confirming the importance of the Western Hemisphere.
The Americas had Argentina, Canada, Uruguay, and the USA at RWC 2015. For next year’s tournament Argentina, Uruguay, and the USA have qualified with Canada needing to win November’s Global Repechage Tournament to join them.
Of the four two account for the world’s Top 10 rugby fan bases. The official list is as follows:
- USA
- China
- India
- France
- South Africa
- Mexico
- Brazil
- Japan
- Italy
- Argentina
South Africa and Argentina were Semi Finalists in RWC 2015. The other two were Australia and New Zealand. Yet World Rugby’s findings show that there are more rugby fans in Brazil, China, India, and the USA than the combined populations of Australia, and New Zealand.
The report notes that one in three of the world’s 800 million rugby union followers are Indian, Chinese, American or Brazilian.
The two countries with the most fans are China and the USA, both with 33 million. This is the case despite the latter never having played in a RWC. The same is true of India, a country with 25 million fans, that being one million more than the country’s population.
Both Mexico and Brazil feature in the Top 10 based on a combination of the sport’s appeal, growing status domestically and the large populations of both. Rounding out the Top 10 is Argentina a country approaching 44 million people.
Overtime the trend is likely to mean further strength for the Americas. Colombia, for instance, has a population of almost 49 million today, just 4 million fewer than England. With the Men’s and Women’s game thriving in the country and vibrant support existing for rugby the prospects are bright for the longterm.
From the Americas the notable absentee was Canada. With a population of 36 million this is entirely understandable as all of the Top 10 have larger populations than does Canada. With moves to have Canadian teams involved in Major League Rugby the sport’s popularity will only grow.
In regional terms World Rugby noted that Asia, North America, South America and Africa have the fastest-growing fanbases. Singled out were Brazil, China, India, Mexico and the USA has all having risen by 50% since 2013.
Additional findings in the survey, conducted by Nielsen Sports, identified that the average age of rugby fans has fallen from 38 to 36 and that 1 in 3 fans are now women or girls.
RUGBY UNION FANS
* 800 million rugby followers worldwide
* 338 million people consider themselves fans
* Over one in three are female
* Top 10 rugby fan nations do not include Australia, England, Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland, or Wales
* Fasted growing fan bases are USA, China, India, Mexico, Brazil and Japan
